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These chocolate chip shortbread cookies are buttery, tender and packed with a blend of milk and semisweet chocolate chips. Their crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture makes them a go-to for tea time, dessert platters or edible gifts. This slice-and-bake style shortbread is simple to prepare, easy to shape and perfect for make-ahead baking. The dough holds its shape beautifully, so every cookie looks as good as it tastes. Enjoy these with a warm drink or on their own as a cozy treat.
These chocolate chip shortbread cookies are buttery, crumbly and filled with rich chocolate chips. They are great for gifting, holidays or snacking.
Also try cranberry orange biscotti, Starbucks oat bars, chocolate sugar cookie cutouts and chocolate chunk pecan pie.
Why You’ll Love It
Easy to make: There’s nothing difficult about this chocolate chip shortbread cookie recipe with mini chocolate chips. It’s an easy cookie recipe with simple ingredients.
Perfect shortbread cookie texture: Although there are plenty of different cookie recipes to choose from, shortbread has a dense, sandy, crumbly texture that’s unique, so if you love buttery chocolate chip shortbread cookies, you’ll adore these.
Great for any occasion: These are always good. Whether you want to make Christmas cookies, a classic shortbread recipe with a twist or you simply want to try a new recipe, I highly recommend making these.
Chocolate Chip Shortbread Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Salted butter: Adds richness and brings out the flavor of the other ingredients.
Powdered sugar: Gives the cookies a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Light brown sugar: Adds a subtle caramel note and extra softness.
All purpose flour: Provides structure and the signature shortbread crumb.
Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances flavor.
Vanilla extract: Adds warm, classic aroma to the dough.
Milk chocolate chips: Bring creamy chocolate flavor to each bite.
Semisweet chocolate chips, mini: Add deeper chocolate notes and a hint of contrast.
Granulated sugar: Sprinkled on top for texture and a little sparkle.
How to Make Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate Chips
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Cream the butter: Beat the butter with the powdered sugar and brown sugar, and the salt, until smooth and fluffy, using a hand mixer.
Add more ingredients: Mix in the vanilla extract and then the flour, and then the chocolate chips.
Shape the dough: Press the shortbread cookie dough into a rectangle on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper, then put more wax paper on top and roll it out to about ½-inch thick.
Chill the dough: Refrigerate the chocolate chip shortbread dough for half an hour or until hard and cold.
Cut out the cookies: Cut 4-inch x 1-inch cookies using a sharp knife.
Bake them: Give the cookies about 20 or 25 minutes in a preheated oven, until they are starting to turn golden, before letting them cool on a wire rack.
Substitutions and Variations
Make it gluten free: Use a 1:1 gluten free flour blend.
Change the chocolate: Try white chocolate or dark chocolate chips instead.
Add nuts: Fold in finely chopped pecans or walnuts.
Use unsalted butter: Add a pinch more salt if needed.
Serving Suggestions
With a drink: These are nice dunked into a cold glass of milk, cinnamon dolce latte or an Irish cream coffee.
With other sweet treats: You might also like chocolate chip sandwich cookies, Italian chocolate roll cookies or perhaps you’re more into canestrelli cookies which look like cute little flowers. Any of those would be good paired with your homemade shortbread cookies.
How to Store Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate
Store: Shortbread keeps for a few days in an airtight container at room temperature or maybe twice that long in the refrigerator.
Freeze: Freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bags for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost at room temperature.
Top Tips
Use room temperature butter: Softened butter helps the dough come together smoothly.
Roll evenly: Keep the dough thickness consistent for even baking.
Chill the dough fully: It makes cutting cleaner and prevents spreading.
Let cookies cool completely: They firm up as they cool for the perfect texture.
Shortbread Chocolate Chip Cookie FAQs
If you don’t bake shortbread cookies enough, they won’t have that dry, sandy, crumbly texture they’re supposed to have. When baked too long, they might burn. If you do notice them browning too quickly, just turn the oven down a bit. They’re golden brown and crumbly when perfectly cooked.
Yes, this dough can be prepared in advance. For the best results, when cutting out the cookies it should be cold anyway, so feel free to make it up to a day ahead, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until required. If it crumbles when you try to cut the cookies, let it warm up a little so it’s easier to work with. It should be somewhere between refrigerator temperature and room temperature.
Easy Choc Chip Shortbread Cookies
Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ Cups salted butter, at room temperature
- ½ Cup powdered sugar
- ½ Cup light brown sugar
- 2 ¼ Cups all purpose flour
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ Cup milk chocolate chips
- ⅓ Cup semisweet chocolate chips, mini
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, optional, to sprinkle on baked cookies
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the softened butter, powdered sugar, brown sugar and salt. Beat with an electric mixer until light and smooth.
- Add the vanilla and beat until combined.
- Sift in the flour and mix until no white flour is visible and the dough is clumpy and crumbly.
- Add both of the chocolate chips and mix one last time. The dough should still be clumpy and crumbly.
- Turn the dough out onto a large piece of wax paper or parchment. Use your hands to press and shape the dough into one cohesive rectangle. Take extra care of the edges, try to press any shaggy pieces in.
- Place a second sheet of wax paper on the top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out between the two pieces of wax paper. Roll the dough to an even rectangle roughly ½-inch thick and 11½ x 8½ inches in size.
- Slide the dough onto a cutting board and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until the dough has chilled and hardened.
- Once the dough has chilled remove it from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Use a sharp knife to trim the uneven edges of the rectangle. Cut the dough in half the long way, then make horizontal cuts about every inch or inch and a half. Each cookie should measure roughly 1 x 4 inches. If the dough is too hard to cut, let it sit for a few minutes to soften up a bit.
- Transfer the cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to turn lightly golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and carefully transfer to a cooling rack. Sprinkle white sugar on top (optional). Let cool completely before serving.
Notes
Roll evenly: Keep the dough thickness consistent for even baking.
Chill the dough fully: It makes cutting cleaner and prevents spreading.
Let cookies cool completely: They firm up as they cool for the perfect texture.
Nutrition
These chocolate chip shortbread cookies are simple to make and guaranteed to impress. With a buttery base and bits of chocolate throughout, they’re perfect for any time you want something cozy and homemade. The dough is easy to handle and holds its shape well for clean slicing and beautiful presentation. Whether you enjoy them with a warm drink or wrap them up as gifts, these shortbread cookies are a classic treat with a chocolatey twist.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Where does the granulated sugar come in?
I sprinkled some sugar on top after baking for crunch. Optional but good!
Excited to make this again! It was a hit with everyone in my household!
These look great and I can’t wait to try them soon. I know Bella wrote the bake temp at 350 in these comments, but earlier in her recipe description she says 325. Just need to confirm it’s 350, thanks!
Oops that was a glitch from changing over recipe formats! Sorry, it is definitely 350! Happy baking!
My girlfriend, Adrianne, makes the most wonderful chocolate chip shortbread. She always uses the mini chips and her secret is that she freezes the chips so that they don’t get to melted and maintain their integrity when baked. They are fantastic.
Good for you for putting this out into the world.
Great tip!
These were so rich and delcious, just like how a great shortbread should be, and the chocolate chips make them extra special. Thanks for another great recipe!
I am so in love with your chocolate chip shortbread. Delicious, sweet, buttery, tasty, and addictive. I am already on my third batch. Thank you.
My kiddos devoured these cookies in record time! They were perfectly buttery and sweet. 🙂
These chocolate chip shortbread cookies broke me out of my cookie rut! I wanted just a little something sweet for my afternoon tea and these were perfect! Delightful recipe
These were tender and buttery. I love the added chocolate chips… really amps up the traditional flavors.
would appreciate knowing the temperature to heat the oven to… am I missing that somehow? Seems like a rather important part of baking… Thank you!
hi! I recently changed recipe formats and that must not have copied over on this one. It is 350 F. I have added it back in. Thanks for letting me know.